Reading the Lightning Thief
by PercyJacksonLover335
Summary: The Fates have sent five Demigods back to the past to read about the adventures of Percy Jackson. Rated M for language.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Hestia's POV

I was sitting in the middle of my hearth watching my family fight yet again. Zeus and Hera fighting over Thalia, who was five years old. Hermes and Apollo over the last cookie... Hephaestus and Ares were fighting over Aphrodite who was fighting with Artemis about love. Dionysus was reading a wine magazine, Athena was scathing something, Poseidon and Amphitrite, who was visiting, were fighting over something.

"You cheated on me again!" Hera yelled.

"Hera drop it!" Zeus said.

"She's my wife!" Hephaestus yelled.

"And she loves me!" Ares yelled.

"It's my cookie!" Apollo yelled.

"No it's my cookie!" Hermes said.

"Love is amazing!" Aphrodite yelled.

"Love is stupid!" Artemis said.

Everyone stopped arguing when a golden light shined and the Fates stood in the center of the room. Everyone bowed.

"Fates is there something wrong?" Zeus asked.

"No Zeus nothing is wrong."

The Fates snapped their figures and five kids appeared. The kids looked around shocked.

"Tell you're name, and ALL of your titles."

The Fates snapped their figures again and Hades appeared in nothing but a towel. Clenching the towel tighter he glared at the Fates. Everyone snickered, but for Athena, Persephone and myself.

"Really?!" Hades yelled.

"Sorry about that Hades."

Hades sighed and snapped his fingers. Shadows surrounded him and his towel turned into dark pants and a dark gray shirt. He sat down in his guest throne and ran his fingers through his hair, before moving his hair back.

"Now you may not hurt any of them, no matter what, Zeus."

Zeus nodded his head as Apollo and Hermes snickered. Artemis rolled her eyes smacking both of them upside the head.

"Athena, you will be in charge of the books."

Athena nodded, her face had a slight blush

"Figures that Ms. Bookworm would." Poseidon snickered.

Athena glared at him, he face now flashed red. He only smirk.

"Stupid Seaweed Brain." Athena mumbled.

The fates chuckled.

"We will be sending more quest after three chapters. Have fun."

The Fates disappeared and Zeus, told them to introduce themselves. One boys stepped up. He had messy black hair and green eyes, much like Poseidon.

"Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon , Slayer of Kronos , defeated of Gaea, killer of giants, Destroyer of the titans, carrier of the sky, savior of Artemis, bearer of the curse of Achilles, Child of the great prophecy."

"WHAT!" Everyone but the future guest yelled.

"Hold on not done. God of Tides, Heros,and loyalty, husband of Hestia."

The gods mouths dropped open, shocked as Hestia blushed.

"When did you become a god?!" Poseidon asked.

"After my first heart-break..."

A rebel looking girl patted his shoulder.

"You're married to Aunt Hestia?" Hermes asked.

"Y-yeah, she helped me heal, from my heart-break and we fell in love. And don't worry, I'd never hurt her."

Percy bowed to Poseidon and bowed to Hestia, taking her hand softly and kissing it before joining her inside the hearth.

"How is that you can sit in her heath?" Hephaestus asked.

"When I became her husband, I grew the ability being flame resistances like her and yourself." Percy explained.

"Alright then I am Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, God and King of ghost, lower shadows and guardian of Artemis' hunt."

Artemis raised her eyebrow. Nico bowed to Hades, Zeus (which raised eyebrows) and then Artemis. Hades smiled proudly and Artemis bowed her head.

"Thalia daughter of Zeus goddess of lighting, Lieutenantof Artemis." Thalia finished.

Thalia bowed to Zeus and Artemis.

The two nodded their heads.

"Chris Rodriguez son of Hermes, god of ,madness, and crazy people."

"Clarisse La Rue, Rodriguez, Drakon slayer, goddess of rage."

"WHAT!?" Hermes and Ares yelled.

"Yes, we're married, God of Madness, and crazy people."

Hermes smirked proudly and shyly.

A book appeared in Athena's lap. Picking up she read the title of the book. "The Lightning Thief" and then opened the book to the first chapter. "I Accidentally Vaporize my Pre-Algebra Teacher."

"Oh great it's in my POV." Percy said.


	2. Vaporize Pre-Algebra teacher

**Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.**

"None of them do." Athena said.

"We gave them a hero's fate." Hermes said.

**If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is:**

"Hit the deck, he's giving advice again!" Thalia said.

'HEY!" Percy yelled.

Everyone laughed as Percy pouted.

**close this book right now. Believe what-ever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.**

"That's good advice." Clarisse said.

Percy smiled as everyone who knew the rage goddess like she had two heads.

"Coming from you, that is."

Percy frowned and everyone laughed.

**Being a half-blood is dangerous**

"Check." The five guest said.

**It's scary.**

"Double check."

**Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.**

"And check."

**All those with children looked down sadly at the fate the gave rhetoric children.**

**If you're a normal kid reading this because you think it's fiction,**

"Why would mortals be reading this?" Hermes asked.

"Same reason why they read Harry Potter, they think it's fake." Athena said.

"Harry Potter is real?" Chris asked.

"Yes he is about the same age as you." Hephaestus said.

"Cool." Nico said.

**great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.**

**But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.**

"At that the truth man." Chris said.

"Sometimes it can be a bit of fun." Clarisse said.

"How?" Thalia asked.

"I was on a roller coaster one time with a harpy."

"Ok that is fun." Percy said.

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

"You didn't warn us Punk." Ares said.

Percy lifted his free hand and flipped him off. Ares glared and was about to get up when Hephaestus summoned fire around his throne.

"On less I'm mistaken you can't harm any if them." Hephaestus said smirking.

Ares growled and sat back down. Poseidon put the flames out.

**My name is Percy Jackson.**

**I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.**

**Am I a trouble kid?**

"Yes!" four out of five guest yelled.

**Yeah. You can say that.**

Everyone but Percy laughed.

"You even agree!" Nico laughed.

"Oh shut up!" Percy said smiling.

**I could start at any point in my shirt miserable life**

Poseidon bowed his head sad at the pain he had caused his son.

**to prove it, but things really started to bad my last May, when our sixth grade class took a field trip to Manhattan-twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at Ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**

"Sounds like torture." Poseidon said.

Amphitrite giggled and sent a glare at Athena. Athena rolled her eyes.

**I know-it sounds like torture.**

Everyone laughed.

"Father like son." Demeter said.

"And prod of it." Poseidon and Percy said smirking.

**Most Yancy field trips were.**

**But Mr. Brunner,**

**Our Latin teacher was leading this trip, so I had hopes.**

**Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee.**

"Sounds like Chrion." Hermes said.

"That's because it is Chrion you idiot." Dionysus said.

"Oh go sleep with your wine bottles!"

**Everyone laughed as Dionysus blushed from embarrassment.**

**You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons,**

"He teaches Greek not Roman... right?" Hermes asked checking his phone.

"No he also teaches Roman, remember he's good friends with Lupa." Zeus said.

**So he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.**

Athena rolled her eyes. "He's your son alright, Fish-brains."

"Jealous?" Poseidon asked smirking.

"Not in a million years."

**I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.**

Boy was I wrong.

"Trouble and me go way back." Percy said sadly.

Poseidon paled.

**See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway.**

Everyone laughed.

"W-What... were you aiming for?" Hades laughed.

"I wasn't." Percy said.

Everyone laughed harder.

**And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.**

Everyone was laughing even harder now. Once they calmed down Athena continued.

**This trip, I was determined to be good.**

Athena laughed softly. "As of."

"I'm sorry what was that?" Poseidon said making a water ball appear in his hands.

"Be the last thing you do."

Poseidon threw the water ball at her. Athena gasped as the freezing water hit her. Athena glared at him as she crossed her arms over her chest shivering. Poseidon smirked and Amphrtrite laughed. Athena sent a glare before getting up and sitting on the floor close to Hestia's hearth.

**All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl,**

Aphrodite made a face.

**hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.**

"Why that BITCH!" Thalia said.

"Thalia language." Zeus said.

"I'm sorry, but nobody does that to my friend."

"Percy can we..."

"Oh yeah."

They three cousins high-fived.

**Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled.**

"I don't judge crippled people Hephaestus." Percy said quickly.

"Good." Hephaestus said.

**He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.**

People laughed.

**Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension**

Hermes shuddered. "I hate that place!"

"Well then maybe you'll learn not to get caught pulling pranks." Artemis said.

"Not my fault Apollo snitches on me."

Apollo stuck his tongue out.

**if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.**

"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.

"Do it!" Clarisse cheered.

"Oh yeah she's your daughter alright." Hera muttered.

**Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."**

**He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.**

**"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.**

**"You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."**

**Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there.**

**In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.**

**Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.**

**He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.**

**It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.**

"Longer than that." Hestia said.

**He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, steel, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.**

"Why does she sound familiar?" Hades asked.

"You know here?!" Persephone asked angrily.

"I think so."

**Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker.**

"Oh boy." Hades gulped.

"Who is she?" Demeter asked.

Hades waved for Athena to read.

**She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.**

"Mrs. Dodds doing." Percy said.

**From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.**

Hermes shuddered.

**One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."**

"YOU SENT AL-" Persephone started.

Hades covered her mouth genteelly.

"Please read before I'm killed." Hades said.

**Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.**

Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the steel,

"Acts like Aphrodite." Artemis said.

Aphrodite blushed and smirked sexily.

**and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"**

It came out louder than I meant it to.

"Of course it did."

**The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.**

**"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"**

**My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."**

**Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?**

**I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"**

"It had to be that one didn't?" Hera shuddered.

**"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied.**

**"And he did this because ..."**

**"Well..." I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god,**

"I'M SORRY CHIRON CORRECTS ME!" Percy yelled quickly.

**And—"**

"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.

"See!"

**"Titan," I corrected myself. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"**

Zeus smirked.

**"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.**

**"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."**

"WE RULE!"

**Some snickers from the group.**

**Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"**

**"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"**

"Busted!" Hermes said.

**"Busted," Grover muttered.**

Hermes smirked.

**"Shut up," Nancy hissed her face even brighter red than her hair.**

**At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.**

**I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."**

"I asked him about that and he said it was to call her out." Percy said.

Everyone laughed.

**"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"**

**The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.**

"Don't all boys?" Artemis asked.

"You know you love us Sis." Apollo said.

"I do not and DON'T CALL ME SIS!"

**Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."**

**I knew that was coming. I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"**

**Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go— intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.**

"Older than that, being a son of Kronos as well." Demeter said.

**"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.**

**"About the Titans?"**

**"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."**

**"Oh."**

**"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."**

**I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.**

**I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshiped.**

"Athena can't do that... right?" Hermes asked.

"I can't." Athena said.

**But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C— in my life. No—he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.**

**I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the steel, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.**

"He was. The girl was a great daughter of Athena." Hera said.

Athena smiled sadly.

**He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.**

**The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.**

**Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York State had been weird since Christmas.**

**We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, and wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.**

"Fish-face and Father fighting again." Athena said.

"Yes but they seem to really be fighting." Hestia said.

"Whatever it is he did it." Poseidon pointing at Zeus.

"You don't even know what you two are fighting over." Demeter said.

"I don't care he did it."

**Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse,**

"Not my daughter!" Hermes said.

**and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.**

**Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school—the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.**

"Smart move." Artemis said.

**"Detention?" Grover asked.**

**"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius."**

**Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"**

Everyone laughed.

**I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.**

**I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.**

Hera smiled.

**Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.**

"Hephaestus built it." Aphrodite said.

**I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends—I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.**

The future guest growled.

**"Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.**

""Does she really?" Hephaestus asked.

"Yep." Percy said.

"Makes me not to eat Cheetos anymore." Hermes said.

**I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.**

**I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"**

**Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.**

**Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"**

**"—the water—"**

**"—like it grabbed her—"**

"Cool!" Apollo said.

**I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.**

**As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey—"**

**"I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."**

Hermes groaned. "Never guess your punishment!" Hermes said.

**That wasn't the right thing to say.**

**"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.**

**"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her."**

"A loyal friend." Artemis said.

"Yeah, Grover's the best friend anyone could ask for." Nico said.

**I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.**

**She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.**

**"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.**

**"But—"**

**"You—will—stay—here."**

"Hades (if possible) paled.

**Grover looked at me desperately.**

**"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying."**

**"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now."**

**Nancy Bobofit smirked.**

**I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare.**

"That glare is nothing compared to him with Riptide." Clarisse said.

**Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**

**How'd she get there so fast?**

**I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.**

"I doubt it was the ADHD." Hestia said.

**I wasn't so sure.**

Hestia smiled as she thought much like her future husband.

**I went after Mrs. Dodds.**

**Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on,**

"I asked him about it he said he knew but had to wait, for the right time." Percy said.

**but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.**

**I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**

**Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.**

"Nope." Persephone said sending a small glare at her husband.

**But apparently that wasn't the plan.**

**I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.**

**Except for us, the gallery was empty.**

Hades paled even more.

**Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.**

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it...**

"Most likely." Hades muttered.

**"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.**

**I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."**

**She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

**She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.**

"Wrong" said Nico.

**I said, "I'll—I'll try harder, ma'am."**

**Thunder shook the building.**

**"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."**

**I didn't know what she was talking about.**

**All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room.**

Hermes smirked impressed.

**Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.**

"Dyslexia sucks." Percy said.

"Athena has Greek copies of every book in the world. You can always find a book from her." Hermes said.

Athena's faces went flashed red.

"Really?" Percy asked.

"N-Nike gives them to me when ever she finishes her books." Athena said, her blush deepening.

**"Well?" she demanded.**

**"Ma'am, I don't..."**

**"Your time is up," she hissed.**

**Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.**

"YOU SENT A FURY?!" Poseidon yelled.

Hades ducked as Poseidon sent his trident flying toward him.

"I DON'T KNOW THIS IS THE FUTURE!" Hades yelled dodging his younger brother.

Hades moved along with Poseidon as he dodged his punches. Hades quickly moved to Athena and grabbed her. Holding her up as Poseidon was about to punch his face. Poseidon's fist froze in inch away from Athena, who had her eyes closed tightly.

"Why use me as a shield?" Athena asked angrily once opening her eyes.

"Because everyone knows he won't hurt you physically." Hades said.

Athena looked at Poseidon who glared at Hades.

"Poseidon please sit down." Hestia begged.

Poseidon glared but went back to his throne. Hades let go of Athena apologizing before returning to his throne. Athena sat back down by the hearth and picked up where she left off.

**Then things got even stranger.**

**Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**

**"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.**

Percy smiled.

**Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.**

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword—Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**

Poseidon sighed in relief.

**Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.**

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.**

"Wimp" Ares said.

Poseidon splashed him with ice cold water.

**She snarled, "Die, honey!"**

**And she flew straight at me.**

**Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.**

**The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!**

"Impressive and sorry about that." Hades said.

"It's fine Uncle, besides you had a good reason to do it." Percy said.

Hades raised an eyebrow.

**"Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.**

Nico shivered. "I hate it when she does that!"

**I was alone.**

**There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.**

**Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.**

**My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.**

"Magic mushrooms?" Hera asked and Percy shrugged.

**Had I imagined the whole thing?**

**I went back outside.**

**It had started to rain.**

**Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."**

"Who?" Poseidon asked.

**I said, "Who?"**

Percy and Poseidon shared a smile as everyone laughed.

**"Our teacher. Duh!"**

**I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.**

**She just rolled her eyes and turned away.**

**I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.**

**He said, "Who?"**

**But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.**

"Satyrs are terrible liars.'' Dionysus said.

**"Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious."**

**Thunder boomed overhead.**

**I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.**

**I went over to him.**

**He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."**

"Only Chiron." Dionysus said.

**I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.**

**"Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"**

**He stared at me blankly. "Who?"**

**"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."**

**He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"**

"Now Chrion can lie." Hermes said.


	3. Socks of death

Athena closed the book marking the chapter.

"Aunt Hestia would you like to read dear?" Athena asked offering the book to the little goddess.

"Maybe the next chapter Athena dear." Hestia smiled.

"I'll read Athena." Percy said.

Athena handed her future uncle the book. Percy opened the book and read the title. "**Three Old Ladies Knit Socks of death**."

Poseidon and Hestia paled.

"I'm not going to like this chapter am I?" Poseidon asked.

"Sorry Dad." Percy said pulling Hestia closer to him, kissing her forehead. Hestia blushed and clenched her future husband.

**I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr-a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip-had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.**

"Gotta love the Mist" Apollo chuckled.

**Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would st are at me like I was psycho.**

"Well..." Thalia and Nico started.

**Percy summoned water and splashed them.**

"Cold!" Nico yelled.

Percy stuck his tongue out smiling. Everyone laughed.

**It got so I almost believed them-Mrs. Dodds had never existed.**

Almost.

But Grover couldn't fool me.

When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.

"Satyrs suck at lying" Dionysus said.

"I could teach them to lie better." Hermes offered.

"When will you find the time?" Zeus asked rising an eyebrow.

Before Hermes could answer his phone went off and he flow off, decked out in mail gear.

**Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum.**

"Not one word." Percy said as Clarisse opened her mouth. Everyone laughed.

**I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.**

The future gods and goddess all shivered.

"Your nightmares suck." Thalia said.

"I know." Percy sighed.

**The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.**

Ares whistled. "Wow you guys are really pissed."

"Ares." Hera warned.

"What it's true they are, last time they were that pissed is when Thalia was born."

"That was Uncle Hades and Dad, Uncle Poseidon was surprisingly clam." Hephaestus said. "But he's right, they're pretty mad."

**I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs.**

Athena turned to face Percy. "You're your father's son alright."

"Yep... Hey!" Poseidon said.

**Everyone but Percy and Poseidon laughed, although they did have a smile on their faces.**

I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends.

"Fist fights or just arguments?" Artemis asked rising an eyebrow.

"Arguments, I'd never hit a girl." Percy said.

"I would have if she was asking for it." Ares scuffed.

All the girls glared at Ares, who slouched down in his throne.

**I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.**

Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot.

Athena laughed softly.

"What? What's an old sot?" Amphrtrite asked.

Everyone. but Athena, jumped forgetting she was there.

"It means old drunk." Athena explained.

"Funny he was old and always drunk." Percy said.

Everyone laughed.

**I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.**

The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.

Fine, I told myself. Just fine.

I was homesick.

I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.

"Paul doesn't gamble?" Nico said confused.

"Whose Paul?" Poseidon asked.

"My step-dad, and this was my first step-dad." Percy said in dark tone.

**And yet… there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he'd survive next year without me.**

"You are very caring." Hestia said.

Percy smiled kissing her forehead.

**I'd miss Latin class, too-Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.**

As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for.

"Everyone starts somewhere." Demeter said.

**I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.**

"Good." Persephone said.

**The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room.******

Everyone gave Athena a look, waiting for her to snap.

"I-I throw books at Uranus when ever he visits." Athena explained shakily.

Hestia hugged her from behind. Athena put her hands on her aunt's arms and smiled sadly at her.

**Words had started swimming off the page,**

"Another water phrase." Aphrodite said.********

**circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon,**

"I do now." Percy said.

"You've been in the underworld?" Hades asked.

"I visit Nico from time to time and once my first quest."********

**or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.**

I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.

I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes.

"Older." Zeus said.********

**I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.**

"Good think do." Clarisse said.********

**I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.**

I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.

"Chiron's like a third Dad to me." Percy said.

"He's another father to everyone." Clarisse said.********

**I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.**

I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "… worried about Percy, sir."

I froze.

I'm not usually an eavesdropper,

"Yeah right." Hermes said flying in.

"I'm not... but I eventually picked up the habit." Percy said.

Hermes smirked handing A stack of letters to Athena, a letter to Artemis, before sitting down.********

**but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.**

"He has a very good point." Apollo and Artemis said.

The two twins look at each other. Apollo smiled and Artemis turned away angrily. Apollo looked down sadly and waved for Percy to continue.********

**I inched closer.**

"… alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too-"

"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline- "

"What's the summer solstice deadline?" Zeus asked rising an eyebrow.

The future guest shock their heads no. Thunder boomed and Zeus waved for Percy to continue.********

**"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."**

"Sir, he saw her… ."

"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."

"Sir, I … I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-"

The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.

Hermes smacked his head. "Really?!"

"Not everyone can be as sneaky as you." Percy said.********

**Mr. Brunner went silent.**

My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.

"Good, always get away as fast and quit as possible." Hermes said.********

**A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.**

I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.

Hermes nodded again.********

**A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on.**

A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.

Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."

"What happened at the winter solstice to make Chiron uneasy?" Dionysus asked.

The future gods didn't answer.********

**"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn …"**

"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."

"Don't remind me."

The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.

I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.  
  
"Rule number 79: Wait until you KNOW the coast is clear" Hermes said.  
******  
****Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.**

Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.

"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"

I didn't answer.

"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Just… tired."

I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.

"He still read it no doubt." Nico said.

"He did I asked him about it." Percy said.********

**I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.**

But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.

The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam,

"Three hours? That sucks." Hermes said.

"I know, I hated it." Percy said.  
******  
****my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.**

For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.

"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's … it's for the best."

His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.

"I hate her" was heard all around the room.********

**I mumbled, "Okay, sir."**

"I mean …" Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."

"Ouch." Hermes said.********

**My eyes stung.**

"Baby." Ares snickered.

Icy cold water hit him.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU FISH PEOPLE DID THAT?!"

"Me/Percy." Poseidon and Percy laughed.

Ares glared at him.

**Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.**

"Right," I said, trembling.

"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say … you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be-"

"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me.

"Percy-"

But I was already gone.

"I know, childish." Percy said as Artemis opened her mouth.

**On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.**

The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.

"Seaweed Brain maybe but not the rest of use." Athena said.

"HEY!" Poseidon said.

Everyone laughed.

"Do you think Percy's ok, with hearing that nick name again?" Nico whispered.

"I hope so." Thalia whispered.

"Yeah." Clarisse and Chris agreed quietly.

**They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.**

What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.

"Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool."

They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.

"How rude of them." Hera said.

**The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.**

"Grover's good, keeping up with people he looks after." Percy said.

"Yeah he stayed on me, for weeks until a monster attacked me." Clarisse said.

**During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.**

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.

I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"

"Trying to give him a heart attack?" Hades smirked.

**Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha-what do you mean?"**

I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.

"Never confess!" Hermes kids said.

**Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"**

"Not much really." Persephone said.

**"Oh … not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"**

He winced. "Look, Percy … I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers …"

"How he really sucks at lying." Thalia said.

**"Grover-"**

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were over stressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and …"

"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar."

Everyone laughed.

**His ears turned pink.**

From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.

The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"Son why is it like that?" Zeus asked.

"They have to learn to read English don't they? Having it in fancy script will help train their brains." Dionysus said.

"He's... not lying." Apollo said shocked.

Everyone looked at him shocked.

"It was Chrion's idea, not mine."

"Ah." Everyone said.

**"What's Half-"**

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um … summer address."

My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.

"Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion."

He nodded. "Or … or if you need me."

"Why would I need you?"

"Harsh." Apollo said.

Percy looked down while reading.

**It came out harsher than I meant it to.**

"Well at least you were sorry." Chris said.

**Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I-I kind of have to protect you."**

I stared at him.

All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.

"Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"

There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.

"Well that's not good." Demeter said.

**After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.**

We were on a stretch of country road-no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.

The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.

Everyone was silent.

"YOU SAW THE FATES!?" Everyone yelled.

"Yes he did."

Everyone turned to see the Fates sitting in three gray chairs.

"All though the old ladies we could have done just fine without."

Percy chuckled nervelessly. "S-sorry Fates."

"Hades do you have the time by any chance?"

Hades looked at wrist before yelling. "Ah shit! I'm late!"

Hades vanished in shadows along with his throne. The Fates chuckled and vanished in a thick gray fog.

**I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.**

All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.

The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.

All was silent so Percy read on

**I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.**

"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man-"

"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"

"NOT FUNNY PERCY!" Everyone said.

"Sorry." Percy said.

**"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."**

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors-gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.

"We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."

Poseidon, Hestia and the future gods paled.

**"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."**

"GO!" Poseidon yelled.

**"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.**

Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic.

Everyone paled.

**Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for-Sasquatch or Godzilla.**

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.

The passengers cheered.

"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"

Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.

"That happens when you see the Fates, only Uncle Hades, Athena and I don't feel that way." Apollo said.

"Really?" Thalia asked.

"Yeah, Hades is around them a lot so he got use to the feeling, I get visions from them so I am as well use to them. Athena though... I have no idea why she doesn't get sick by them."

Athena's face went red a bit.

"Isn't just because they like Athena?" Hermes asked, looking at his phone.

"Who would like her?" Amphrtrite asked.

Athena rolled her eyes. Percy carefully marked the page and hugged Athena, pushing her forward just a small bit, shocking her making her put her hands on his arms which were around her neck.

"I DO!" Percy said grinning.

Athena looked at him as he hugged her around the neck.

"US TOO!" The future gods chorused.

"Looks like everyone but you likes her." Hermes said smirking.

**Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.**

"Grover?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you not telling me?"

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like … Mrs. Dodds, are they?"  
  
"Worse, especially if you piss them off and I know not to curse." Hermes said as Hera opened her mouth.  
**  
His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw."**

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."

He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost-older.

He said, "You saw her snip the cord."

"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

Thalia paled.

"Thalia what's wrong?" Zeus asked.

"Something from the future." Thalia said.

**"What last time?"**

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."

""Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."

"And you didn't listen did you?" Persephone asked.

"Nope." Percy said popping the p.

**This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.**

"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.

No answer.

"Grover-that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"

He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.


	4. Losing Pants

Percy closed the book and handed it to Hestia. Hestia took the book opening it to the right page.

"**Grover Unexpectedly Loses his Pants**."Hestia read.

Everyone laughed.

**Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.**

"That wasn't wise deary." Demeter said.

"Yes very un wise, Grover's job is to protect you and any other demigod." Hera said.

"I know." Percy said.

**I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to he sixth grade?"**

"Ok I see why you ditched." Aphrodite said.

"Yeah, I would have ditched too." Apollo and Hermes said.

**Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.**

**"East One-hundred-and-fourth** **and First," I told the driver.**

**A word about my mother, before you meet her.**

"Awesome." Nico said.

"The best." Thalia said.

"Best mom in the world." Percy said.

"Beautiful." Poseidon said signing lovingly.

Amphitrite glared at him. Poseidon shrugged while blushing.

"Brother must have meant it, he rarely breaks promos." Hades said reappearing.

"Where did you go?" Demeter asked.

"Meeting, with Thanatos about his left wing. He broke it while flying."

"Oh the poor deary."

"Is he all right?" Persephone asked.

"Yes, he's fine but rather made that he broke his wing. Hestia, please continue."

**Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck.**

**Her own parents died in a plane crash**

Everyone glared at Zeus, Poseidon's the deadliest.

"Don't even you know perfectly well I had no control of that storm." Zeus said.

"Oh yeah, we had to have that storm..." Apollo said.

"Yeah." Hermes said.

"Though I was very sorry about that." Zeus said.

**when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care ****of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.**

"She's got it now. She's very wise, but not wiser then Athena." Percy said.

"Dude nobody... not Nobody as in Odysseus, but nobody... oh you know what I mean anyway, nobody is wiser then Athena." Apollo said.

"No one?" Chris asked.

"Nope, the Fates are wise in lives and what will happen in life but not basic knowledge." Hermes said.

Athena's face flushed red for the thousandth time that day.

**The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.**

Poseidon blushed thinking back on to the day they first meet. Amphrtrite glared at him, before sending a glare at Athena. Athena just rolled her eyes.

**I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures.**

**See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.**

**Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.**

"She lied... but didn't lie." Hermes said.

"Impressive." Ares said.

"Yeah." Chris said.

**She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid.**

"Understatement." Thalia whispered to Clarisse.

"I heard that!" Percy said splashing her.

**Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk.**** When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.**

"Did he really?" Hephaestus asked.

"Yes." Percy answered.

"Gezz, my home smells better then him." Ares said.

**Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along … well, when I came home is a good example.**

Percy looked down and Hestia held his hand shyly.

**I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.**

"Gezz, my forges are neater." Hephaestus said.

"They are, you can see the carpet and everthing on less he makes something big." Aphrodite said.

Everyone agreed.

**Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."**

**"Where's my mom?"**

**"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"**

"WHAT KIND OF STEP FATHER ASK HIS STEP SON FOR MONEY!" Poseidon yelled.

"Did he often ask you for money?" Zeus asked.

"At least... twice a week." Percy answered thinking.

**That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?**

**Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.**

Aphrodite shuddered.

**He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our "guy secret." Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out.**

The ground stated to shake violently as Hestia finished reading that. Everyone fell to the floor as Poseidon shook in anger.

"POSEIDON STOP IT RIGHT NOW WHO CARES YOUR STUPID SON GOT HIT!" Amphitrite yelled.

That made the ground shake even more. Poseidon's eyes started to glow green, water started flooding the throne room and bits of the ground started to rise up.

"D-DAD STOP!" Percy yelled.

"BROTHER!" Zeus, Hades, Hestia, Hera, Demeter yelled.

"POSEIDON PLEASE STOP! PLEASE STOP FOR ME!" Athena yelled.

Poseidon looked at Athena, to see she had tears running down her face. His eyes turned back to normal and the ground stopped shaking, the water disappeared. Poseidon walked over to Athena helping her up and wiping her tears away.'

"I'm sorry."

Poseidon pulled her into a tight hug, shocking her and everyone, but the future gods.

"Dad I promos I'm ok, and don't worry about Gabe, I get him." Percy said.

"Ok." Poseidon said into Athena's hair.

"Poseidon let Athena go!" Amphitrite said.

Poseidon just hugged her tighter before vanishing. Athena sat back down, after a little bit.

"Hestia please read." Zeus said.

**"I don't have any cash," I told him.**

**He raised a greasy eyebrow.**

**Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.**

**"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"**

**Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here."**

"Well at least his not that bad." Artemis said angrily.

**"Am I right?" Gabe repeated.**

**Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.**

"Gross!" Aphrodite said.

**"Fine," I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose."**

**"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"**

**I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.**

The girls scrunched their face up.

**I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.**

"Gotta love Percy's sarcasm" Nico said.

Everyone laughed as Percy smirked.

**Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.**

**But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic-how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone-something-was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.**

Percy shivered Hestia put her head on his shoulder and moved closer to him. Percy out his arm around his future wife and kissed her forehead.

**Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"**

**She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.**

Hera smiled brightly.

**My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe.**

"I love my Mom." Percy said.

"Dude who can blame you." Thalia said.

"I thought you love Artemis as your Mother." Nico said confused.

Artemis's face flushed red along with Thalia's.

"Well yeah, of course I love Artemis like a mom, all of the huntress do." Thalia said smiling at Artemis.

Artemis smiled back.

**"Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"**

**Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.**

"DUDE ROCK'N MOM!" Apollo and Hermes said.

"I know!" Percy said happily.

**We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sou****r strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?**

**I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her.**

Percy smiled.

**From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?"**

Everyone growled.

**I gritted my teeth.**

**My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.**

"So true." Aphrodite said.

**For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad.**

**Until that trip to the museum …**

**"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"**

**"No, Mom."**

"Don't lie to your mother!" Hermes and Hera said.

**I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.**

"Not her she can see through the mist." Percy said.

"Rare within the mortal world." Zeus noted.

**She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.**

**"I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."**

**My eyes widened. "Montauk?"**

**"Three nights-same cabin."**

**"When?"**

**She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."**

**I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.**

"He probably gambled it." Hera said angrily.

**Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"**

"Can I killl him?!" Ares yelled.

"As much as I would love to say yes, no you can not Perseus said he took care of him." Zeus said.

**I wanted to punch him,**

"Do it!" Ares and Clarisse cheered.

**but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.**

**"I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."**

**Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"**

**"I knew it," I muttered. "He won't let us go."**

"He's better." Apollo growled.

**"Of course he will," my mom said evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money. That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."**

"Gotta love sweet sweet bribery" Hermes said.

Everyone nodded yes.

**Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip … it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"**

"WHAT?!" Aphrodite yelled.

"Dear, please not everyone can afford to shop like you." Hephaestus said.

Athena sat back crossing her arms.

**"Yes, honey," my mother said.**

**"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."**

**"We'll be very careful."**

**Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip … And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game."**

"Apologize?" Athena asked angrily.

"You paid for it!" Hestia said.

"I know, it's just Gabe being stupid.

**Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought.**

**And make you sing soprano for a week.**

Everyone laughed.

**But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.**

**Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?**

"She was doing to protect you wasn't she?" Hera asked.

"Yeah, my mom's the best in the world and would always protect me, just as much as I do to her." Percy answered.

**"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now."**

**Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement.**

"What brain?" Artemis asked.

**"Yeah, whatever," he decided.**

**He went back to his game.**

**"Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about… whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"**

**For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes-the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride-as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air.**

**But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.**

**An hour later we were ready to leave.**

**Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking-and more important, his '78 Camaro-for the whole weekend.**

**"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch."**

"He's twelve, as if he'll be the one driving." Hephaestus said.

**Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve.**

Hephaestus smirked thinking like him.

**But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me.**

Everyone growled.

**Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon.**

"You are a powerful demigod." Hera noted.

"Yeah, I still don't know how I did that." Percy said laughing.

**Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.**

**I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.**

**Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets**

Athena shuddered at the mention of spiders. Amphrtrite laughed at her and Percy splashed her with ice cold water.

"Don't you dare laugh at Athena." Percy said.

"You little brat!" Amphrtrite yelled.

Amphrtrite started to get up but a spear forced her back and down.

"Leave Percy alone, Shrimp." Athena said.

Percy smiled at Athena as she nodded her head to him. Amphrtrite glared at them, as everyone snickered.

"Never ever going to mess with the two of you." Apollo said.

"Yeah." Everyone but Amphrtrite agreed.

Athena and Percy's face flashed red.

**, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.**

"Not that would stop you." Chris said.

"It wouldn't stop Brother." Hera said.

"Not at all." Demeter said.

**I loved the place.**

"I love it there." Percy said.

"That's not surprising." Persephone smiled.

"Not one bit." Demeter agreed.

**We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad.**

Aphrodite giggled.

**As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.**

"That's how you know Poseidon fell for her." Hades chuckled.

**We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.**

"Why the blue food?" Apollo asked.

**I guess I should explain the blue food. ****See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This-along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano-was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me.**

"OH, so you get it from Poseidon **AND** Sally." The future gods and goddess said.

Percy smirked evilly.

"He even has his father's evil grin." Demeter said.

**When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.**

**Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind wheneve****r we came to Montauk-my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.**

**"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."**

"That's Poseidon to a t." Zeus said.

"Yeah and Percy's just like him." Clarisse said.

Percy smiled.

**Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud."**

"I am" Poseidon said reappearing.

Everyone looked at him as he walked with a woman and a small child.

"Brother-" Zeus started.

"WHO IS SHE?!" Amphrtrite yelled.

"This is Sally Jackson and **_OUR_** son, Percy." Poseidon said.

"Hello." Sally said bowing.

"welcome, Poseidon, are you feeling a bit better now?" Hera asked.

"Yes, Hera, I'm fine. Sorry, I did what I did." Poseidon said.

"It's all right, brother, but you do have to control that power." Demeter said.

"I know, I... I lost control after hearing that pig had hit my son."

"Dad, I'm fine I promos, and wow was I really that small?!" Percy said watching his past self crawl around the room.

"That's Percy?" Sally asked looking at the older Percy.

"Hi Mom."

"Yeah, I told you the Fates send some kids to the past to read, books."

"By books you mean..."

"Books about Percy when he's twelve." Clarisse said.

Sally joined, Athena on the floor, to be near her son... well sons. Poseidon sat down next to them and hugged Athena, almost pulling her close. Athena's face went red and she looked at him.

"I'm sorry for making you cry." Poseidon said.

"I-it's alright, now please let go."

Poseidon tighten his grip on Athena before letting go, only to lay down, putting his head in her lap.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?!" Amphrtrite yelled.

Poseidon just glared at her, closing his eyes. Aphrodite and the future gods snickered. Athena sent a glare at them.

**I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.**

"I don't care about that" Poseidon mumbled.

"I know, Dad, I know." Percy said.

**"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean … when he left?"**

**She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."**

**"But… he knew me as a baby."**

**"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."**

"I visited you in your crib without your mother knowing one night" Poseidon said "I knew you make me proud one day."

**I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember … something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.**

**I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me …**

**I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.**

Poseidon growled, Sally carefully took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Poseidon squeezed her hand in return, watching Baby Percy crawl around the room.

**"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"**

**She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.**

**"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think … I think we'll have to do something."**

**"Because you don't want me around?"**

"Harsh" Hermes winched.

Sally and all the mothers, minis Amphrtrite flinched.

"I regretted saying it Mom, I swear." Percy said quickly.

**I regretted the words as soon as they were out.**

Sally smiled.

"Love you mom/ luv you Mommy." Both Percy and Baby Percy said.

"I love the both of you too." Sally said.

**My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."**

**Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said-that it was best for me to leave Yancy.**

**"Because I'm not normal," I said.**

"Again, understatement!" Thalia said.

Percy splashed her and Baby Percy clapped while laughing.

"Cute, Percy, real cute."

Percy smirked smirked.

"He's has your smirk." Sally noted.

Poseidon smirked matching his son.

**"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."**

**"Safe from what?"**

**She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me-all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget.**

**During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.**

"Checking up?" Persephone guessed.

"Yeah." Poseidon and Percy answered.

**Before that-a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands.**

Everyone looked at Hera.

"Don't even I only did it to Hercules." Hera said.

**In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.**

**I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.**

**"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy-the place your father wanted to send you. And I just… I just can't stand to do it."**

**"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"**

**"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."**

The Future gods cheered, Baby Percy clapped.

**My head was spinning. Why would my dad-who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born- talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?**

**"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."**

**"For good? But if it's only a summer camp …"**

"Not for some." Clarisse said.

**She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry.**

**That night I had a vivid dream.**

The future gods shuddered.

"I hate your dreams!" Nico said.

"I do too." Percy said groaning.

**It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse**

"Me." Poseidon said

**and a golden eagle,**

"Me." Zeus said.

**were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf.**

"What are you two fighting over this time?" Artemis asked.

The two brothers shrugged.

**The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.**

**I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, No!**

"I win!" Zeus said.

"Poseidon splashed him, Baby Percy laughed and clapped. "Again! Again!"

"Poseidon smirked.

"Don't you dar-"

Zeus coughed as Poseidon splashed him again, making everyone, but Zeus burst out laughing.

**I woke with a start.**

**Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.**

**With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."**

**I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.**

Hestia moved closer to her future.

**Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice-someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.**

**My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.**

**Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't… he wasn't exactly Grover.**

"See, he's good at his job, but also a friend." Chris said.

"Yes, I know, but most of the Council of Cloven Elders." Apollo said.

"Brother, I'm on the Council of Cloven Elders." Dionysus said.

"Minis you and Chiron of course, brother."

**"Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?"**

**My mother looked at me in terror-not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.**

**"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"**

**I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.**

**"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"**

**I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on-and where his legs should be … where his legs should be …**

**My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tel****l me now!"**

**I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.**

**She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!"**

**Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.**

**Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.**


End file.
